Willow chair



July 28, 1925.4 1,547,820

F. RAINER WILLOW CHAIR Filed April 8, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheat l INI/Emol?,

Arm/mfr July 28, 1925.

F. RAINER wILLow CHAIR Filed April 8, 1924 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Fra aine?,

Afro/mfr WITNESS Patented July y 28, 1925.

UNITED STATE-'s TA t `FRANK RAINER, oEJERsEY CITY,NEW .IERsEY,'AssIGNoR To HUDSON WILLOW a REED FURNITURE FACTORY, or: JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, AFIRM coMPosED or FRANK RAINER AND WILLIAMA F. RAINER.

WILnow cHAIRi Application filed April 8, 1924. Serial No. 704,920.

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK RAINER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Jersey City, in thecounty of Hudson and State of New Jersey, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lWillow Chairs, .ofwhich the following isa` specili- `cation.v This invention relates to the manufacture of woven willow chairs Vand it yconsists in certain improvements directed especially,v to the manner in. which the woven willow apron is formed and associated with. that part ofthe frame of thechair which 1sf below the seat and particularly the legs of the chair, the objects being to simplify and reducethe cost of the work of forming this part of the chair, increase the strength and durability thereof and improve its appearance and avoid the exposure of projecting ends of the willow lat the exterior of the apron where; it is likely otherwise to catch i in the clothing of the occupant ofthe chair.

, In the drawings s Fig.4 l. isan outside elevation of a, fragment of that portion .of the apron4 of the chair which'is at the front; Y

Fig.2 is a sectional view of the chairrin .af horizontal plane above the apron, showingthetop willow course; .v y j Fig. 3 is a sectional view, alsoin a lhorizontal plane, showing `h esecond or; intermediatewillow coursegand 'p d Fig. 4 is a fragmentary underneath ,plan

ofthe apron, showing the; lowest or `third willow course', l y n v Only that part of the chairframe which includes the four legs A is shown, it being understood that they will be surmounted by 40 a suitable frame for kthe seat and thereby 4and if desired otherwise connected and braced. Y n Y .Y .A i

The top vmesh, marked B, of the woven willow apron may be ,formed in any wav;

4,5 my invention is not concernedtherewith and so I have not shown the particular weave of the apron as tothis part except as,4 to the members C and'Dwhich all 'stand' upright inthe apron and are asffollows: These V450 members are all formed of willow, those marked C being short lengths terminating at. their upper andlowerl ends 4in the top mesh B and lower V7mesh (to bev described) than thefinterme'diate portion. @It is also lows; i d u. p ...7.1 g ThellleShEis composed of a top and a and those marked D extending through the meshes vB and E and v,embodied in the mesh 'Eras `will appear.` `All' the members of the set C and of the set D are spaced from each other at regular intervals, theset marked C being inclined from left to 4right and those marked-.D from rightto. left andithose of one set crossing the other.- Some or all of theset vmarkedD` may havetheir upper ends extended into the weaves which will form the seat or the Varms rand back ofthe chair, as is frequently done, but this is not material and so is not shown. It will be noted thatin the mesh E eachmemberC `stands close toa member D.

I To impart, the proper strength and also a desirable appearance to the mesh E. which forms a border or band; at the base of the apron 1t is desired in these constructions to form the upper andlo-wer edgesof thisband thicker ,and more substantial in appearance kdesirable thatY- notwithstanding thetapering form of the willow material :thethickness of yeachof these edges as-,well las the said intermediate. portion should b e keptjasguniform as.,possible,throughout` the .flOnt and vtwo sides .of they apron. It is V'also `important that the ,lower mesh E vof the apron. kshould bestrong and durablebecause .of thestrain that frequentlycomes rupon itin moving the chai-rabout. ,Again it is a seriousfaultin the ap-ron if they ends ofthe willow project atthe outside soas td catch in the clothing of the occupant. `jIn. .view of ,thesevconsiderations I-Lk form `the lower mesh E., as vfolbottom course `and an f. intermediate course, shown respectively by `Figures 2, 4 and 3.,

. fTo formthe top Elcourse `(Fig. 2) I anchor the butt end portion ofva strand a of heavy willow to one., back legv by bending the same near said end around the leg and, havingpassed its `butt'end a inwardv of two `adjoining members Cn D* and then out between this pair rand the next pair ofinembers C D (all at the back) as shown'in Figure 2, twine the strand inward and outward of the Vpairs C Dl at the back and then, passing the other back leg A, continue this twining processforward along one side, passing YAa front leg, and then, continuing this twini ing, passing the other front leg, and finally leave the free end ofthe strand t terminate between the. latter leg and the back leg to p which the strand was anchored. VViththis strand is intertwined in the Asame manner .Y with the members. C D "another strand whose f top course, theiry ends al e being vturned inwardly, and they being intertwined vwith eachother and the pairs 'of members C D and passing the legs A all Vthe same-'as the `pieces a, b," terminating at the'lback of the chair 'with their ends Z2 'e2 turned'inwardly; vbut in this case the butts or tliiclrerfends of these piecesv are their endscl d2 so that, as explained, the tl-iicknessof the 4course at the .front and two sides will bepractically uniformand only Vat the back, for Athe short extent where the butts overlap, will it be otherwise. V

To form theV intermediate course (Figi) Ifuse Alight willowy strands.`vrr Starting at 'one side of thechai'r-and 'aboutthe middle Vof 'said sideitheaendsff g" h" of threestrafnds -f g 71, are projected vinwardly through. the successive spaces betweenv successive. pairs of members "CD 'and' carried,v to the rear, Iac-ross the back and, forward into the 'op.p,o-

site' iside-,having their other ends/"23 g2 and `zl2v inserted inwardlyl through the vsuccessive spaces-between Successive pairs of thefmernbersCiDyother strands'j 7c and Z are'treated Vin the same way as ther-strands yf 'g 7i ex,- -cepting ythatthey are carried to the front, across the front4 and' forward into the` side vtfv pposite to that where they start, their` ends j cf'Z and j2 k2' Z2 bfeingturn'ed inward All these strands are intertwined with the pairs of'members'ClD', but instead of each strand entering the successive spaces between'lthe pairs ofl members each preferably passes two'or more'of the'spaces atthe'outside lbut after entering one space pass out again-through the next space; y v*The `bottom course is 'formed as follows:

Each member D (Figs. l andVY 4) has sufficient length so that r`when it isV bent atY the bottom ofthe' apron to form an'acute 'angle or inthe present case to the left (Fig. l)

it will extend past several o f the' pairsof members C D, as five Vof these. Thefbent olf portion of `each such member D is designated rvD.r 'These' portions are'intertwined with each -other and pass alternatelyy inand out Vin, the underneath plan (.Figfef).

Letters Patent is; I Y v y A 'i l. In combination, with a chairframezhavthrough the spaces between` the pairs C D, their ends all projecting inwardly. as shoTwn ne members C are kept from falling down out of place by resting .at .their lower ends on thebottom course, which isl entirely "formed by the extensions D of the members D.

lThe described top course at the lower part ofthe apron is the main binding course, and

it greatly strengthens the apron and reinforces atA the point, 'where it would otherwise be weakest-at the back of the chair-tearrange thepieces @I b toextend VOneway and the strands Z e the other way tor-complete the circuit'ofrthe aproinespecially Aif the butts or thicker and stier parts .of these two setsfofrstrandsl are at the back..

'Aste the intermediate course,the usual arrangement is to insert the strands, lin starting to intertwine, each into the successive spaces -betweerrfthe members CVD until the circuit ofthe apron is completed;l since by thisarrangement'the ends of the strands-are left distributed throughout the A:whole cir vcuit of the apron the workv is not certain of being performed` properly on `accountof some ofthe endsbeing in thevicin'ityk of the l legs. ByV arrangingl some strands, as f g fr, at the/'back with their ends-projecting'for ward and lsome strands, as 7' 7c' Z, at the front with their ends projecting rearwardly,and arranging theends of these two sets to overlap at the sides ofuthechair intermediate the' legs, Ythis difficulty is av0ided.- i

'S0 far as Iam awareitl's new in'this' art as to the third or bottomfcourse, which is composedofthe ybent-oftendsof the-g'members D,-to arrange thel ends ofrtlieir bento ff portions so that-after said' portions-have fbeen twisted'around eachl otherl as described each end will project inwardly. This avoids the presence of a'ragged edgeat the bottom ffof-fthe apron usuallyproduced byVv leaving vthe `said endsv projecting outwardly so ,that

they arelikely to'catch-on the-`c`lothingof thefoccupant. 'y -f Y 'j fully described. my' invention, what I claim as new and desire tojsecurefby ing four,A legs, ay wovenapr'on connectin'gtlre legs l-circuitously f and vincluding. *upright 35" spaced members 'arranged between each two adjoining legs and flexible tapering strands arranged horizontally and'f'each; twined throughout its-length about said members successively and/'all intertwined with Veach other, the strands beingvarranged in two setsy with the buttends of each set at the 'back l'of-'the chair and the other and thinner ends extended forwardly, those of lone set inone direction and those of the otherset in the opposite'direction':l l' v 2. vIn combinatiomwith a chair frame havmg four legs, a woven'apronconnectmg the 1,547,820 i N I v "3 legs circuitously and including upright of the chair and having theirendsprojeotspaced members arranged between each two ing forwardly `and the other at the front of ladjoining legs and iexble strands arranged the chair and having their ends projecting 10 horizontally and each twined throughout its rearwardly,v the ends of the forward set y 5 length about said members successively and overlapping those of the rearward set.

al1 intertwined witheach other, the strands In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

being arranged in two sets, one at the back H f FRANK RAINER. 

